Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Emergency Preparedness Award

The Emergency Preparedness Award is part of a new BSA program of emphasis for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers, and Leaders, in cooperation with the Federal Department of Homeland Security.

All emergency activities carried out by Scouting units must be appropriate for the ages and abilities of the young people involved. Units should participate only under the supervision of their own leaders, and plans for unit help must be coordinated with community agencies responsible for disaster preparedness.

Build a family emergency kit, with an adult family member participating in the project.

With your parent or guardian's help, complete one of the following that you have not already completed for this award as a Tiger Cub or Wolf or Bear Cub Scout:

Take a first aid course conducted by your local American Red Cross chapter.

Give a presentation to your den on preparing for emergencies.

Organize a training program for your Webelos den on stranger awareness, Internet safety, or safety at home.

When a member has fulfilled the requirements appropriate to his age/program segment, a completed application is submitted to the council. Upon approval, an Emergency Preparedness pin is awarded. The pin may be worn on civilian clothing or on the uniform, centered on the left pocket flap. The award may be earned more than once; for instance, as a young person advances through the ranks and is capable of more complex preparedness activities, but only one pin may be worn. You can download the applicationhere.
This information can also be found at: http://scoutleaderawards.com/advance/EmergPrep.asp

I have been asked to provide the guide to the colored beads on Pack 1122's Bear Den Flag and Doodle. You can provide your own color scheme according to what beads you may already have on hand. The trick is to be consistent.

Blue--The boy wears his uniform to the meetingYellow--He brings his bookWhite--This is the over achiever bead. The Cub Scout has done something at home that needs to be signed off.Red--This corresponds with the Instant Recognition Bead for Progress towards Rank. He should have 4 of these. If this is for a Wolf Den, you could swap red and yellow to keep it with the Wolf beads.
Clear--There is only one of these on the string. The boy receives it when he gets his rank advancement.Orange--For participating in the meeting.Green--Good behavior.Pink--The cub brought his parents to Pack Meeting.Purple--The cub came to Pack Meeting.

Sometimes it can be a little confusing to find when and where training is when looking at the Utah National Parks Council website. I have subscribed to the rss feed and I always look amazing when I know when the upcoming trainings are. (At least I do in my own mind...)

It's warming up out there. Really. It is. Or at least spring is getting closer. What are we to do with these Cub Scouts who have been cooped up all winter? Our last pack meeting was full of ideas to take these boys on field trips.

Outdoor trip ideas included:

Living Planet Aquarium

Bingham Copper Mine

the Bean Museum at BYU

Paleontology Dept. at BYU

Cabella's

Hutchings Museum in Lehi

Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake

Petroglyphs in Eagle Mountain

Tracy Aviary

Hogle Zoo

Parks

Nature Trails

Friends in Need Animal Shelter in Eagle Mountain

When all else fails, some things can be learned from books. Imagination is the key here.

The Intermediate Den Leader class had a discussion on field trips, also. Some successful field trips suggested were:

Camp Williams

Home Depot

Lowes

When attending a Saturday morning class at Home Depot or Lowe's, call well in advance to place your den or pack on the list. These classes fill quickly. Often, when a class isn't full and leftover kits are available, they have been known to donate to the cub scout troops who take the time to ask.

We also discussed some not so successful trips leaders have taken with their boys. The consensus was taking rambunctious boys to the Library. When a Library trip is needed, a willingness to leave is necessary on the leaders' part. This way the librarians and patrons are not disturbed too terribly much by boys having loud fun amongst the quiet readers.

The point to field trips is to have fun. Enjoy each other and the many activities in our area. If you have other ideas to share, please email us or leave comments and we will add them to our lists.

This idea came from my son's 4th grade teacher that uses it in her class so I adapted it to use for my children for good behavior. Then got thinking this would be great for den discipline.
It's easy.. just create a grid with letters on the top and numbers on the bottom. Then laminate the board and use dry erasers. Then when you observe good behavior from a scout you let them put their name on the BRAVO board. Then when all the squares are filled (this could take a few weeks or so depending on how big your BRAVO board is) the you have a Bingo drawing where you but the square number on a piece of paper (such as B4 and so forth). Then just pick out a determined amount of squares (at my house we draw out 5) and then they get to pick out of the reward box, which is filled with items the scout would like (neckerchief slides, first aid kit, candy, etc).
This has really worked personally in my household to change behavior and helps me focus on good behavior instead of the negative.